Snakes and Hamsters
Project Overview
--All the roles are listed as $5 for a base pay but there may be more cash. There will be money for the talent if the show makes money.--
"Snakes and Ladders" is a comedic audio program centering around the lives of characters in a pet store. Generally, the hamsters and the snakes are the center of the episodic content, but they observe all the things that occur within the pet store. Snakes can communicate with other snakes by ESP from anywhere but hamsters are only able to communicate with each other when there are other hamsters close, thus when a snake character gets brought home, they can still discuss things with the snakes remaining in the pet store (though snakes are very solitary and would rarely do this).
SCi CO may expand this to having some form of animation. It is projected as a series with recurring characters. It is about PG-13 in its content, not really sexual but juvenile humor and foul language, violence from snake feedings in anthropomorphic characters. This is a for profit program which will pay off rewards for talent hired in a long term contract. This is something SCi CO is doing to keep our juices flowing while we are working on other projects which have pressing deadlines. Thus it will be built upon and refined, with a target date of around February for the first episode to be complete but we might be well ahead of schedule such as Thanksgiving or X-Mas. Music is being produced by SCi CO but we will open up to animators or illustrators. We don't feel we need any art other than the voices, music and sound fx but will work with some submissions to see if our visions connect and if they are able to produce the work in time for publication. Improvisation is being encouraged for talent, including auditions but no improv whatsoever is necessary for being hired. This is a general rule of SCi CO to give performers the opportunity to open up and add to the entertainment value without much limitation.
*A CLEAN AUDIO RECORDING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN A TALENTED PERFORMANCE*
It's not even 50/50. It's like 90/10. Good audio or don't bother, please. We are a commercial enterprise and we cannot clean up your audio. Normal hiss and buzz is acceptable, you cannot get rid of it from any mic for under $1000. But if it's obvious, noticeable, distracting, persistent, etc. then we will not be able to consider the audition to be from a person who can perform the job.
Funny is important but this is an adult program with sadistic violence and humor that is macabre. There are social connotations to pets and animal treatment, the show is not on a platform politically to push any agenda but it will be sensitive to basic concepts of animal cruelty and will not encourage things which would be seen as unnecessarily cruel. There is a paradigm which the snake taunts the prey and the hamsters are being eaten alive and this is the basic dark comedy mechanism for the situations.
The three main characters are SKIMMY , BIG BAD SNAKE and PET STORE OWNER. SKIMMY is a fat, slightly older hamster in the glass cage that all the 'feeder' hamsters are housed in-- unless they get paid for and brought home! SKIMMY has managed to fend off the feeders for months and months now, is viewed by the younger hamsters as sort of a military leader in their life-death struggle. BIG BAD SNAKE is a mean, large snake which manages to scare off kids enough so he hasn't been sold. His ego is such that he believes he runs the store and is always in the perfect place at the perfect time. PET STORE OWNER is a happy go lucky middle aged man who makes boring jokes and laughs to himself frequently. He wears his heart on his sleeve but is pretty shallow. He wants to make money and be a cornerstone in his community.
Other Characters:
SHEILA- One of the main store workers. She's an average individual with a dry sense of humor, often coming up with a sarcastic zinger. She's a full time employee, opening or closing 5 days a week. She's got seniority and is the top level worker under the manager.
PATRONS-- The general public interacting with the animals in the store. They sometimes become characters we follow with their purchase inside their homes and can become recurring characters.
YOUNG HAMSTERS-- The food supply of the snakes. They rarely recur from episode to episode and are depicted as young, about adolescent typically.
A a snake feeding on a hamster is no big deal generally but when you really get into the script and acting it out with animal characters, suddenly it's like R rated Horror! It dramatizes the feeding process of hamsters and other rodents to snakes and exposes the cold attitudes of the human shop owner and most patrons, thus a macabre sense of humor will help the talent if they are comfortable with that. There is an attitude that the animals are in a prison and the system is sadistic, one could imagine it applies to any prison system at any time in history or makes animal rights statements, that it is some stance about corporate mentalities...but really we're playing with the sadistic comedy of snake and rodent, which is as ancient as the most ancient tales on Earth, such as African folk-lore.
We have original music from scicomusic.com and will sell the series in some form on scicofilms.com . There is already some collaboration with another composer, thus we are only open to visual artists aside from VO talent. It's probably best to receive submissions from age 18 and up because of profanity.
-Dana , Project Producer
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SHEILA is a solid worker who has very little time or patience for drama. She is the most trusted on the floor laborer of the pet store owner and works a full 40 hours at least every week. She's got a dry sense of humor and is often sarcastic when least expected. She has little feelings either way about the animals but wouldn't want unnecessary suffering.
About 25-50, a bit overweight, reading glasses. No children but has pets and watches game shows every night with them. Small family, slightly religious, no boyfriend or girlfriend ever mentioned but you never know. Her relationship with the PET STORE OWNER is cordial and fairly fun but there's not much chemistry there for friendship and definitely nothing for romance. She doesn't have ambitions beyond holding down her steady job there.
(responding to comment about her work ethics being good) I do try. Did you feed the snakes?
(as to why she named the snake...) 'Big Bad Snake' because he’s always scaring the kids away.
(about feeding times) I try not to think about it.
(about a product)
Oh ya…parrot specific, activated on pooping.
BIG BAD SNAKE-- He gives off an aura of negativity which has some effect on customers and his particularly splotchy and unattractive appearance often scares or offends children. Thus he has been a fixture for some time in the store and is not likely to be sold and brought home. He is ice cold, sadistic, egotistical to the point that he believes not only he is the leader of all snakes locally but also the master of the pet shop owner, the employees, hamsters and all else. He has a very bloodthirsty sense of humor and goes out of his way to disturb the feeding rodents emotionally. He speaks with a hisssssssss and is an old soul.
(responding to a selection for his food being made) Excceelllent.
(taunting his current hamster meal) You smell more scared than my brunch yesterday… have you peed?
Don’t ‘egg’ him on, SKIMMY. He didn’t use any real saltsssssss
SKIMMY- SKIMMY has been around a while, is older and fatter. He is often like a general or drill instructor for young hamsters, trying to help them from being selected for a feeding to the snakes (usually BBS). He remains optimistic and humorous, somewhat child like but he's constantly fearful and on the lookout for signs of the feeder employees. The only time he really chills out is after closing time when there's a long delay from any possibilities of being fed to the snake when the place opens again. He remained alive for months for some unknown reason, but it might be because he's narcoleptic (falls asleep suddenly) which seems to help avoid being picked out by the feeders. He might have a bit of a rasp to his voice, he's always nervous but also always looking for a joke unless he's being solemn about another hamster death. Hamsters are friendly with the other rodents but cannot communicate much with them.
(to cadet young hamsters) If you go to sleep, he won’t want to give him a second meal!
Careful! You’re better off not running too much in that wheel, it’ll make you look real cute to the feeder. They’ll use their scooper on you, plop you down into Big Bad Snake’s cage and he’ll gobble you down in no time— I’ve seen it!
(after a hamster death) Bless ye for you are worth more than a meal…when you are gone you will be remembered for your bravery in your deeds. Rest in peace friend. Maybe you have some chance in there!
YOUNG HAMSTERS- These are the non-recurring characters that are either fed or trying to avoid being food that episode. They are all childish or juvenile, they curse sometimes but are generally pretty innocent. They look up to SKIMMY automatically recognizing him as a survivor who can help them avoid being the next fresh meal. Talent cast for YOUNG HAMSTERS will play many different YOUNG HAMSTERS for different episodes.
Ohhh no, are you for reals?
OK, general!What’d I do? Is anyone else awake yet? I’m getting hungry. In fact, I’m plum starving!
He already said he said a hamster! Bastard!
PATRONS-- The various people who go in and out of the pet store for business. Families, kids, people shopping for gifts, etc. Some situations will lead us into their homes, such as a sale of a hamster or a snake. This will give the PATRONS a specific name and possibly recurring role on "Snakes and Hamsters". The lines for the PATRONS can be interpreted very generally with characterization driven by the artist's vision. The lines are meant to be for almost anyone. A PATRON hired talent can portray more than one PATRON.
GO AHEAD AND GRAB THE DESIGNER BRAND WITH PINE SCENT SINCE HE CANT GO OUTSIDE
Should I buy a turtle? What kind of animal is that? Can I pet the mice? Is the snake being fed soon?
No, we can't buy that puppy. No, we can't buy the kitten either. No, I don't want a snake. We don't need food here. Oh my God, that big ugly snake is being fed...
grosssssss
We are not married to the idea but will entertain art for the project. Right now we are satisfied to have an audiobook with one or two covers/posters. But if there is an artist who wants the job, can handle the workload for 'scale' pay rate then we will work with that artist for the right talent.
Say something you think would fit
SNAKES- Snakes are the non-recurring snake characters around BIG BAD SNAKE. None of them are the alpha character, BBS is the boss but they are supportive of BBS status. They all have tremendous egos and sadistic temperaments with surly humor to go along with it. They don't usually do much from episode to episode and are the counter-balance to the YOUNG HAMSTERS in their characterizations.
Suffering is so ssssweeeeet but not as much as hamster meeeatttttt
Tee heeheeee! It is inevitable that we meet...why not jog on the wheel to give me some extra lean cuts, hmm?? Let's see you thinking of 'ketchup'...
I'm in your dreams...you cannot escape me...nobody wants you, not even a toddler who feels bad you cannot escape your prison. The shop owner does not care, he would eat you like sausage if it was in a restaurant. But we are in a restaurant, are we not-- rodent? Hsssssssss the heeheheehehehee hahahahahaaaaaaaa Yessssssssss
![r.p.g. [nsfw]](https://images.castingcall.club/project_images/image-1224501-New_Project_26.jpeg)
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